Special Projects

Artifact Details

Title

Catalog Number

102657984

Type

Text

Date

2002-02-13

Contributor

Johnson, Luanne, Interviewer

O'Rourke, Tom, Interviewee

Publisher

Computer History Museum

Place of Publication

Saratoga, Calif.

Extent

16 p.

Description

Thomas J. (Tom) O'Rourke reviews his personal life and his career at General Electric prior to starting Tymshare, one of the earliest time-sharing companies, in 1965. He covers the development of an operating system to support their time-sharing services, establishing an initial market with engineering firms, and shifting to the financial services market during the recession in the early 1970's. He describes the growth of the proprietary network Tymnet as a significant business within Tymshare and the role of ADAPSO (Association of Data Processing Service Organizations) in providing time-sharing firms with a lobbying presence to resist government regulation. The interview concludes with the events leading up to the acquisition of Tymshare by McDonnell Douglas Automation in 1984.